Last Saturday, we celebrated The Lisbon MBA Executive 2021-23 and International MBA 2023 Graduation ceremony, celebrating students’ achievements filled with many emotions and lasting memories.

 

The start of the ceremony was marked by the impactful musical performance of our unique, talented students Johanna Broschei, Anna Iogansen, Rui Freitas, Sajal Chaturvedi and Olga Maslennikova who evoked the highlights of their MBA journey, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

 

Prof. Pedro Oliveira, Dean of Nova SBE, opened the ceremony by emphasizing, “Today’s world is increasingly complex, fragmented and polarized. It needs people who are tolerant of the differences that make them unique. You must lead!”

 

Followed by David V Capodilupo, Assistant Dean of MIT Sloan School of Management Global Programs, who expressed three heartfelt wishes to the graduating students: “Maintain close friendships,” “Ensure your career aligns with your true passion,” and “Leave a lasting impact.”

 

The commencement speech was given by Steven Braekeveldt, CEO of Grupo Ageas Portugal, who presented us with an inspiring quote, “Companies need weavers (…), which means artists who have the art to unite people and motivate them toward a common goal.”

 

The Best Professor awards honored Prof. João Silveira Lobo for the Executive MBA and Prof. Fernando Anjos for the International MBA. Cristina Marques and Rute Alvarez were acclaimed as the best students from the Executive MBA, and Tillmann Reimer for the International MBA class.

 

The winners of the Business Case Competition were Isabel Barbosa, João Menezes, Johanna Broschei, Joseph Leitão, Paul Kupfer, Sarim Hussain, and Tiago Monteiro, with Paul Kupfer also emerging as the winner of the Leadership Challenge, with the support of LBC.

 

Maria José Amich, Executive Director, congratulated the graduates who will now join The Lisbon MBA Alumni Community that reunites more than 3,000 alumni worldwide, by stating, “This is your moment. Your generation’s time to contribute to shape the world, a better world”, quoting President Barack Obama, she inspired the graduates, with the words “Change will not happen if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. So, let’s get to work.”

 

The long-awaited diploma ceremony followed. This symbolic moment represented the transition of the students to the highly regarded Alumni Community of The Lisbon MBA.

 

The ceremony was closed by Prof. Filipe Santos, Dean of CATÓLICA-LISBON, who urged the graduates to embody moral courage, wisdom, and passion for a fulfilling life and meaningful contributions, providing a compelling call to action and inspiration for the promising journey each graduate faces ahead.

 

The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova sincerely congratulates all students for their outstanding achievements and wishes them continued success in their future endeavors.